Five sunny days followed the devastating rain, and the temperature rose rapidly, reducing the concentration of harmful elements in the Earth's atmosphere to normal levels. Once the harmful elements in the soil had mostly evaporated, Xia Qing began preparing for sowing.
She used those five days to clear weeds and insects from the three villages, and even pulled up the harmful evolutionary grass from the thirty acres of the most fertile, level land near the reservoir. Of course, she only pulled up the evolutionary grass that had grown wildly during the devastating rain; she hadn't bothered with the sparse, normally growing seedlings beneath it. Except for the grass that the eldest sheep had knocked down, the rest of the grass remained.
However, Xia Qing decided not to clear it and would start tilling directly. Standing at the edge of the field, she pulled out a bunch of toon sprouts, shook them, and shouted, "Eldest sheep—want some toon sprouts?"
The eldest sheep, who was grazing in the field, immediately rushed over. Taking advantage of its engrossed eating, Xia Qing put a specially made tilling harness on it. This leash was made by Xia Qing based on the style of a vest-style dog leash, ensuring that the sheep wouldn't break free or get hurt.
After donning the gear, Xia Qing turned the bamboo pole attached to the tractor, and the pole, adorned with a cluster of toon tree buds, began to swing in front of the sheep's head. Because of the language barrier, Xia Qing and the sheep communicated only in two ways: food and playful fighting.
Xia Qing baited the tractor and shouted, "Boss, your chance to shine has finally come! Let's get to work!"
The sheep finished eating the toon buds on the ground and peered at the one in front of it, only to find it couldn't reach it. It took a step forward to reach the bud, but the bud also moved forward. Undeterred, the sheep continued to reach, the leash tightening around it, the three plowshares digging deep into the soil. Xia Qing held the tractor's handle and began tilling the land.
This three-furrow tractor was likely pulled by a tractor; it had no handles. After Xia Qing dug it out of the village ruins, he modified and repeatedly adjusted it, turning it into the sheep-plowing plow it is today.
The eldest sheep easily pulls the plow from one end to the other. Xia Qing pulls back the bamboo pole, and a cluster of toon sprouts appears near the sheep's mouth. When the sheep stops to eat the sprouts, Xia Qing immediately turns the plow around, attaches another cluster of sprouts, and then the sheep pulls the plow back from one end of the field to the other.
One round trip, and a 1.5-meter-wide, 200-meter-long plot is plowed!
One more round, and nearly an acre of land is finished. This is much faster than Xia Qing turning the soil shovel by shovel, and Xia Qing is overjoyed.
Just when the eldest sheep has had its fill of toon sprouts and is about to go on strike, Xia Qing changes the bait.
With a small piece of feed hanging before her, the eldest sheep worked with double the energy, plowing thirty acres in just over an hour, consuming only one piece of feed and a handful of toon sprouts.
Xia Qing removed the harness from her hero, fed him water, and groomed him. The eldest sheep, well-fed and pampered, lay down at the edge of the field, resting with its eyes half-closed, watching Xia Qing continue her work with haughty pride.
After clearing away the tree roots, grass, and stones that had been turned over, Xia Qing stood up and watched the magpies, sparrows, and crows digging for insects on the plowed ground. She felt a surge of joy.
The birds eating the insects meant her crops would grow better. The first day of work after the devastating rain had gone so smoothly; a bountiful harvest seemed within reach!
But when she heard on the radio that evening that birds not only ate insects but also dug up seeds from the soil, Xia Qing's joy vanished.
Immediately following, the broadcast introduced countermeasures: "Experts from our base's planting research center recommend two methods to all lords: First, mix the seeds with insect repellent powder before sowing. This method not only repels birds but also prevents soil-evolved pests from damaging the seeds. Second, spray the sowing plots with the sap of cinnamon or camphor trees (level 3 scent evolution) diluted with water at a ratio of 1:10. This method effectively repels most birds, and using both methods simultaneously yields even better results. Experts remind lords not to simply scatter the seeds directly on the ground for convenience. The sowing depth for wheat should be three to five centimeters, and the row spacing… cotton… to improve the germination rate, the seeds can be soaked overnight, but the water temperature must be carefully controlled…"
Xia Qing leaned over the table, taking notes diligently by candlelight.
Before the natural disaster, China's urbanization rate had reached over 70%, and most of the country's arable land had been handed over to large-scale specialized farms. Ten years after the disaster, the elderly who knew how to farm but had low immunity died one after another, and most of the lords in the territories didn't know how to farm. So, although the lord's phone contained the "Complete Guide to Planting," the base still broadcast detailed planting information tirelessly every day.
Xia Qing had worked at the planting center in the safe zone and understood the basic planting process, but she dared not be careless. The planting center operated in rainproof greenhouses, while this was open-field planting.
After the rainstorm, the evolved plants grew rapidly, and transportation between the safe zone and the territory was disrupted. Xia Qing's two power banks hadn't been charged in time, so she prioritized ensuring enough battery for the daily broadcasts. She only used her phone for calls and avoided reading the "Complete Guide to Planting" to conserve power.
After planting, she definitely needed to find a way to get some solar panels.
Xia Qing put away her notebook, sat on the tatami mat, petted a sheep, and thought about the news broadcast.
For five days, the Hui San base's broadcasts hadn't mentioned the death toll caused by the rainstorm, but Xia Qing conservatively estimated it was over seven thousand.
Although they didn't report specific casualties, the announcer narrated moving stories with great emotion every day. Today's broadcast featured the heroic deeds of the Sufeng Squad, who sacrificed six members to protect public facilities and property, repelling an evil force.
Xia Qing guessed that Feng Teng was among those six, which explained Feng Wen's heartbroken crying on Zhong Tao's phone.
Feng Wen's tears weren't because of her close relationship with her brother, but because she had lost her support after Feng Teng's death. Her crying was a ploy to get more survival supplies.
As for the cause of Feng Teng's death, it certainly wasn't the reason given on the broadcast, because Feng Teng was the first to run away in the face of danger.
Who were these "evil forces" mentioned on the broadcast? Where did they get the audacity to confront the Sufeng Squad and Tang Zhengrong, the second-in-command of the base behind them?
Before Xia Qing could figure it out, Boss Yang stood up, skillfully opened the door, and went out. In the past few days, Boss Yang had learned to open and close doors with his hooves; the front door was now secure.
Xia Qing stopped thinking about Feng Wen, got up, took out the seeds, and soaked them according to the method taught on the broadcast. She used filtered water for half the crop and superior spring water for the other half.
In the safe zone, Xia Qing, like most people, grew vegetables in flowerpots. Although she took great care of them, most of the vegetables would grow wildly during the Red Rainstorm, leaving very few edible. However, after transplanting ginger and garlic seedlings into her territory and experiencing the Red Rainstorm, only three out of seventeen seedlings perished—a lower mortality rate than in the greenhouses of the safe zone's planting center.
After analyzing the situation, Xia Qing concluded that the low mortality rate was 80% due to watering with spring water after transplanting and 20% due to the better soil. To verify this, and for safety, Xia Qing cautiously decided to use both types of water.
The seedlings watered with filtered water were planted in thirty acres of farmland, while the seedlings watered with spring water were planted in the other area, which had been turned over once before the Red Rainstorm and again afterward.
To ensure the water temperature remained between 30°C and 40°C, Xia Qing, who had no thermostat, simply tested the water temperature with her body temperature, barely sleeping all night.